Now this is a book which combines two very intriguing things for me. Firstly you have the writing of Mark Edwards who certainly thrilled with his last book, The Devil's Work, and secondly, intriguing for me at least, is that fact that this book is set in my home county of Shropshire. There is nothing I like more than being able to identify with places that books are set and Mr Edwards certainly paints the normally quiet county a very different colour with his new thriller, The Lucky Ones.

When Ben Hofland moves back to Telford from London following the breakup of his marriage, little can he know how much this is going to impact his life. Beyond the obvious challenges it brings to him and his son, Ollie, it also puts him in the sights of someone who wants only happiness for the people around them. Eternal happiness. And Detective Imogen Evans thought she had moved away from the rat race and the high profile murders when she moved to the sleepy county of Shropshire. Nothing could have prepared her for what she and her team were about to discover - a serial killer who will stop at nothing to complete their vision including targeting Imogen herself.

Now. Don't get me wrong. I love my home county. It is beautiful, peaceful, idyllic even. So when I read that Mark Edwards was about to terrorise the county and bring death and destruction upon us, I was well up for reading it. What could he possibly write that would make sense in a county where the majority of the area is rural. Anything too violent would seem out of place - perhaps jarringly so - an potentially push the reader away. Thankfully he has been much more subtle than that, creating a tense and yet understated story which is totally in keeping with it's setting.

When I say understated, do not for one moment think that this book doesn't still deliver on thrills and tension because it absolutely does. But this is a cold and calculated killer who has been planning their kills for some time and while the act of murder in itself is brutal and unforgivable, in the murderers eyes there is a kind of twisted logic to what they are doing. And it does make a kind of sense after a fashion, the killer trying to provide an almost humane death to their victims. It does cause confusion for the police and getting to the truth will not be easy.

In terms of characters, outside of the passages when we are treated to the perspective of the killer, a person who has very deep rooted issued which become clearer as the book goes on, the story mainly follows Ben as he navigates his new life back in Telford and Imogen as she investigates the murders. Both are very empathetic characters and I grew to like them a lot. There were times when I wanted to slap Ben out of his funk, still grieving as he was over the end of this marriage, but ultimately he was a good guy trying to make the best of a very tough situation. And Imogen was a strong and intelligent woman, someone who deserved a little bit of happiness.

As I said before, this is not your fast action thrill ride. Heck, if you tried that out here you'd soon find yourself stuck behind a tractor! But it still has a core of menace, those chilling moments when you can feel the noose tightening around Ben and Ollie; when you know that the events that occur are moving ever closer to Ben coming face to face with the killer. And in the meantime - well why not just sit back and enjoy the scenery. The author has done a stunning job of capturing the essence of the county in his writing. Perhaps being the scene of a body dump doesn't place Wenlock Priory in the kindest light, but if you aren't at least partly intrigued about coming to visit our wonderful county after this then you really don't know what you are missing. I for one was inspired to get back out there and visit some places I haven't been since my childhood, even some places I've never seen myself before. Brilliant writing.

A chilling and thrilling 5 stars from me.

What a great read. Fast paced, exhilarating and well written. I found myself trying to find clues in everything I was reading. Highly recommended

I have been on a thriller kick lately! So this next one was creepy. It's basically revolving around a serial killer in this small village and he's killing off people (while leaving a smile on their face!). The story takes the perspective of a few different characters. You have Ben, father to Ollie, and who somehow finds himself in the heart of this thriller. He's dealing with finalizing his divorce, getting back into good graces with his son who now lives with him, dealing with unruly neighbors, and also trying to make himself a successful freelance writer. It's a lot to handle! Yet oddly, things start to turn around for him.

Then you have Detective Imogen Evans who has moved to this small town from London and it's her first serial killer case. It's tough because she's trying to manage her team, prove herself worthy of this position she's in, and trying to figure out exactly how these people are connected who have been killed.

Oddly the book only deals with mostly two different perspectives - Imogen and Ben. You also occasionally have the perspective of Ben's wife's lover Michael (very convoluted, I know) who works as a reporter and he's trying to get the big scoop on Imogen (but oddly finds himself roped into this serial killer story). Oh and you also occasionally get the perspective from the killer himself.

I was a bit thrown off by the varying perspectives. That's always a bit confusing to me at times and this took me a bit to get into. I was captivated in the book when Ollie got involved in the middle of the serial killer case. That peaked my interest and I couldn't wait for the father to question what was going on with his son.

It's not quite the "edge of your seat" thriller as some books, even as it nears towards the end. But it's that feeling of HAVING to know what's going on that kept me going back and reading the book. And there's also an unexpected twist at the end that made this book pretty exciting.

Unlike a lot of thrillers that I've read, the romance is very light in this book. The focus mostly is on the relationship between Ben and the people around him, including his ex-wife, Ollie, and the people involved in the case. Ben is a sympathetic character, but I didn't quite root for him enough in the story, though. I really liked Imogen's character. I really connected with her and her passion for finding the killer and doing the right thing by her team and by the case made her very likeable.

I'd give this three and a half stars. It's worth reading, although a bit of a rocky start for me.

Detective Imogen Evans has moved to Shropshire from London and is investigating two murders when a third body is found. All three have been injected with morphine but there does not seem to be a connection between them. Ben and his son Ollie have moved to Ironbridge, Ben's homewtown, after the breakdown of Ben and Megan's marriage. His mother has terminal cancer and Ollie seems to be struggling to settle down in his new home and the fact Ben can't find a job doesn't help matters either. Then things seem to get better - he gets some freelance work and Ollie seems to be happier at school but what Ben doesn't know is that someone is orchestrating all these things - the same person that orchestrated things for his first three victims - the person the press are calling "The Viper". Ben and Imogen are brought together through different aspects of this a case. A great read from start to finish - thoroughly enjoyed it - didn't work out who the culprit was at all. Imogen Evans is a very strong character and I look forward to reading more about her.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and Mark Edwards for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a huge Mark Edwards fan, I was delighted to receive an arc of this book from Netgalley, thank you to them and to the publishers.
Mark Edwards is a fantastic author, he hasn't written a bad book yet and believe me I have read them all! This one is more of a police procedural than his past ones which were more psychological thrillers, but I will forgive him that as Detective Imogen Evans is a brilliant character! A serial killer is stalking the rural setting of Ironbridge, the lucky ones are those that die with a smile on their faces, he/she has given them a 'good death'!! Pretty gory in parts, well there is a serial killer involved! I loved the character of Ben, who has moved to Ironbridge with his son Ollie who is being bullied at school. The way Ben thought he was being so vigilant with Ollie's use of social media, not realising he didn't actually have a clue what he was up to, was very realistic!
Brilliant book, I absolutely loved it. My favourite of his has to be his debut Magpies, please give it a read if you haven't already.

Wow! The author will have you thinking just maybe it's this and it's no where near what you thought. In my opinion, that alone makes this a great book! Suspense, a little romance and a lot of action!

I found this book a bit slow and don't particularly enjoy books where the killer is already known.

This is a very well written psychological thriller with a creepy killer that leaves smiles on his victims faces. Knowing the area where it is based I could picture some of the events happening. It held my attention from the start to the finish, it is fast paced and had me guessing to the end.
Highly recommend it

Fantastic book but that is to be expected from Mark Edwards. Harder to get into than his past novels but fantastic payoff as always.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

What a totally amazing and riveting story . Loved Imogen and the other characters . With an ending that leaves you almost begging for more

I am a huge Mark Edwards fans and have loved all his books, this one certainly didn't disappoint! It had me hooked from the very first page to the very last and I couldn't put it down. It was full of twists and turns that I certainly didn't expect or see coming. Would absolutely recommend this book and I hope we see the main characters again in the future.

I really enjoy reading Mark Edwards books and The Lucky Ones was another great read. The story kept me hooked and I did not want to put it down. A psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

As always, Mark Edwards has outdone himself with The Lucky Ones. Read in one sitting because I just couldn't stop reading.

I have read all the books by Mark Edwards, including collaborations with Louise Voss and I am never disappointed with the standard of writing and story telling. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed this new book by Mark Edwards. It was full of twists and turns, only revealing the perpetrator right at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves crime or psychological thrillers and will most definitely be on the look out for another great read by Edwards.

This was the second of Mark Edwards' books I've read and I enjoyed it greatly. The plot was fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns. I felt like I'd been kept guessing until the end of the book.

The Lucky Ones is gripping and I found myself staying up late to complete the book. I would recommend it to fans of thrillers and crime fiction.

Mark Edwards has done it again. Was absolutely enthralled with the premise of this book. Who on earth thinks things up like this. So our protagonist is under the impression that he is doing his victims a favour when he kills them when they are at their happiest and buries them where they were most happy! A very original plot line and I would wholely recommend this book.

Full disclosure - I am Mark Edwards fan and had read a number of his novel prior to reading The Lucky Ones.

The author has a tendency to write books about ordinary people who endure horrific ordeals, this book differs slightly in that it is still based on ordinary people in ordinary locations but that it comes with a whodunit twist. The reader experiences parts of the story from different perspectives with the backdrop of a police investigation rumbling on in the background.

As ever the plot thickens gradually throughout and yet again what I believed to be the answer, the key to all of the strange and often chilling goings on was wrong - I was caught out once more by the author's ability to spring a surprise and keep me guessing.

One of the things that I always like about Mark Edwards is the protagonists that he creates feel real, flawed people with personalities and problems that the reader can relate to. It is not an easy read in the sense that you find yourself being drawn in, if you're looking for a relaxing book to sit and read by the pool, this isn't the one for you. However if you're looking for British crime/Thriller then you can't go far wrong here.

There is potentially scope for a sequel here and it is one that I would love to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was excited to receive this book, as any new release from Mark Edwards is always highly anticipated.
However, I am disappointed to say that this book left me a little deflated.
It was well written and introduced some colourful and memorable characters but I felt that there was less of the psychological thriller aspect than I have come to expect from Mark Edwards and the story was told more from the perspective of the police investigation. It was leaning more towards a police procedural novel than a thriller.

I did finish the book and it was enjoyable and tense in parts but I am pining for the darker writing I love Mark Edwards for.

The story starts with a woman's body being found in the grounds of an old priory. Her eyes are open and she seems happy. A smile is on her face and she seems to be in a state of bliss.

Ben Hofland has moved back to the sleepy village he grew up in to be nearer to his mum who is dying from cancer and as a new start after splitting up from his wife. His son Ollie is finding it hard to settle in. He's looking for work and feels optimism when freelance work is offered with lots of perks. Ollie seems brighter also.

Detective Imogen Evans and the team is trying to find a connection and motive for the killings and they believe a serial killer is at large... A fast paced and twisty story which I really enjoyed.